Named a New York Times Notable Book of 2018 and a Best Book of 2018 by NPR, The New York Times Book Review, Amazon, The Boston Globe, LitHub, Vulture, Slate, Elle, Vox, and Electric Literature“Tana French’s best and most intricately nuanced novel yet.” —The New York TimesAn “extraordinary” (Stephen King) and “mesmerizing” (LA Times) new standalone novel from the master of crime and suspense and … new standalone novel from the master of crime and suspense and author of the forthcoming novel The Searcher.
From the writer who “inspires cultic devotion in readers” (The New Yorker) and has been called “incandescent” by Stephen King, “absolutely mesmerizing” by Gillian Flynn, and “unputdownable” (People) comes a gripping new novel that turns a crime story inside out.
Toby is a happy-go-lucky charmer who’s dodged a scrape at work and is celebrating with friends when the night takes a turn that will change his life—he surprises two burglars who beat him and leave him for dead. Struggling to recover from his injuries, beginning to understand that he might never be the same man again, he takes refuge at his family’s ancestral home to care for his dying uncle Hugo. Then a skull is found in the trunk of an elm tree in the garden—and as detectives close in, Toby is forced to face the possibility that his past may not be what he has always believed.
A spellbinding standalone from one of the best suspense writers working today, The Witch Elm asks what we become, and what we’re capable of, when we no longer know who we are.
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I have had The Witch Elm by Tana French sitting on my shelf since it came out and unfortunately it turns out I wasn’t missing all that much.
I think The Witch Elm might be the slowest burn I have ever read, and I’m not sure the payout was worth it. This is a big book at just over 500 pages, and it is filled with character development but not as much suspense as I had hoped there would be. I listened to the audio and I’m very glad I went that route instead of reading it due to the slower pacing and how detailed it was. Paul Nugent is the narrator and I thought he did an amazing job reading the book and being the voice of Toby.
This is one of those books where it’s really hard for me to articulate my feelings about it. It’s definitely more about the development of Toby than the mystery, and there ended up being a couple heavy topics that I wasn’t expecting to pop up. I think if you want a really good character study that is very detailed then The Witch Elm will work for you. I have heard French’s Dublin Murder Squad series is very good so I will definitely still be reading those, but this was just too slow and not suspenseful enough for me to really love it.
Thank you to the publisher for my advance review copy via Edelweiss. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
When Toby’s idyllic, carefree life is turned upside down by an act of violence, he moves into Ivy House with his beloved uncle, Hugo, at the same time re-kindling the close relationship he used to share with his cousins. There is so much vivid detail in this book and the imagery of the house and the mysterious wych elm, around which the story pivots, is haunting. I was desperate to know how the skull got there. The real magic is in the wonderful prose and the fact that, because of Toby’s injuries, you can’t be sure what he is telling you is accurate. Twists, turns and surprises galore. I loved it.
I have enjoyed reading every book written by Tana French. She develops her character well, keeps you interested in her story. This is a thoroughly enjoyable read.
The latest of several mysteries from Tana French. A great read and also a captivating audiobook narrated by Paul Nugent.
Although I like an occasional twist, I’m always disappointed when I cannot predict “who done it”!
Love each and every one of Tana French’s books!
A great one shot story from Tana French. An unreliable narrator who had an easy life makes the story less predictable. The family is well written with complexities that take time to understand.
I had a hard time following the timeline. And the location and characters became a little boring for me.
She can write, however.
Tara French leaves no stone unturned in this psychological thriller. Haunting exploration of family relationships and the lofty position of the lucky, until they aren’t…makes you think!
Not her best
I mostly enjoyed this book until the end. I thought Toby talked too much, especially at the end. I think the end could have been shorter.
She continues to write the best books.
I did not even finish it
Looking for literature and suspense in one, here’s your author!
This is my least favorite book by Tana French because all others were fantastic
When you read Tana French you know what to expect and she delivers! Enough said!
I’ve loved all of this author’s books. This was different from all the others but still a great read
Like all of Tana French’s books, his one shows the author’s gift for language, plotting, and amazing characters.
Fascinating character development.
Toby feels he leads a charmed life. He has a wonderful job, a great apartment, great friends, and the perfect girl. He is a lucky person, and things always work out for him, that is, they always did, until that day. He had just had an incident at work and was able to patch things up. Talk about lucky! He was out celebrating that night with his friends. He celebrated how good life had always been to him. That’s when it happened. That night, the burglars broke into his home, pillaged his apartment, and left him for dead. That’s when everything changed.
His recovery was very slow, and he wondered if he would really ever fully recover, be the same man he’d always been, that lucky, quick-witted man. Because he was having trouble relaxing in his apartment after the trauma he had faced there, he decided to stay in the family home with his dying Uncle Hugo. One day during his stay, a skull is discovered on the property of the old family home.
This story is a little more of a psychological drama than Tana’ French’s other murder mysteries. There were pages that moved the story forward very slowly and tediously. But the psychological exploration was interesting. What happens to a person when they can no longer define themselves in the way to which they are accustomed? What happens when a person can no longer trust his own judgment or memory? This is a very interesting story.